1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus to which a developer storage container having a function of communicating with the image forming apparatus can be detachably mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up to now, by exchanging management information between an image forming apparatus main body and a developer storage container (for example, a toner cartridge), management of the toner cartridge is efficiently and easily conducted to improve a usability such as maintenance of the image forming apparatus.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-263022 proposes the following technique. Change in temperature from production of the toner cartridge to delivery to a user and also in a storage environment is stored as temperature history information. When the toner cartridge is set to the image forming apparatus, a period of time for conducting a toner agitating control is changed on the basis of the temperature history information. This technique is for changing the agitating time in accordance with a toner condition because the concentration rate of the toner is varied depending on the toner storage condition.
In an image forming apparatus of recent years, along with a decrease in the melting point of the toner, a more precise temperature control is demanded for the inside of the image forming apparatus, and an environment control such as an air flow control for the inside of the image forming apparatus needs to be performed.
However, according to the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-263022, a temperature sensor arranged to detect temperature change up to until the toner cartridge is delivered to the user is provided, but this temperature sensor is not effectively utilized after the toner cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus.
Therefore, when the toner cartridge is mounted to the image forming apparatus, the environment control such as the temperature control for the inside of the image forming apparatus or the air flow control for the inside of the image forming apparatus cannot be performed by using the temperature sensor inside the toner cartridge.